If the thought of painting your home fills you with dread, try these awesome hacks.
40 Incredibly Innovative Painting Hacks That’ll Make Redecorating A Breeze HomepageDo Not Sell My Personal InformationLife HacksIncredibly Innovative Painting Hacks That’ll Make Redecorating A BreezeBy James CannonFebruary 12, 2021ShareTweet Ugh, painting. What a chore. But even the most amateur painter among us can make light of their work with the help of a few simple items already lying around the house. That old tub of vaseline sitting in the medicine cabinet is about to become your best new DIY buddy. And that's just the beginning! Yep, we’ve taken a closer look at 40 ingenious decorating hacks you’re gonna wish you knew a lot sooner.40. Removing the paint lidStruggling to open that pesky paint can? Well, fret no more. The host of YouTube’s Specific Love Creations channel has a handy hint! He explained “Take a nice roll of tape, carefully wedge it on top [of your can], squeeze really hard and give it a turn.” Job done.YouTube/Specific Love Creations39. Keeping your roller moistIf your painting project’s going to take more than a day, then this hack is for you. All you need to do to keep your roller moist is to securely wrap it in a plastic bag. If you’ve got a spare Pringles can lying around, why not put your tool in there, too? That’ll make sure it’s really airtight!YouTube/Specific Love Creations38. Making a lace patternCreating a wallpaper-like look on your walls may seem impossible without having to hang the stuff, but this cool trick will blow your mind. To begin with, pin a swatch of old lace to the area you want to cover. Next, run your loaded roller over the material. And when you take down the lace, you should be left with a gorgeous pattern every one of your guests will admire.YouTube/5-Minute Crafts37. Removing masking tapeWhile masking tape helps you achieve a nice, neat paint job, it can be a pain in the butt to remove. But we’ll let you into a secret. Just power up a hairdryer and wave it over the section of tape you want to rip off. This should prevent you from creating any unnecessary and annoying chips in your walls or baseboards.YouTube/Specific Love Creations36. Avoiding paint fumesOne of the biggest drawbacks of painting – aside from the mess – is the awful smell. It’s enough to give anyone a headache! But with a touch of vanilla extract, you should be able to counteract that vile scent. One tablespoon per pint is the measurement to go with. And don’t worry: it’s highly unlikely to change the finish.YouTube/Steve Garfield35. Use plastic wrap for a chic lookWant to radically switch up your room? This design idea could be right up your street. First, apply a coat of dark paint to the chosen wall and let it dry. Then add a lighter color with your brush. Just one or two strokes should do the trick. After that, stick some plastic wrap on top and apply pressure all over. And all you need to do next is to peel this layer off – and see your incredible new wall!YouTube/5-Minute Crafts34. Tape cardboard to drop clothsWhen you’re doing major paint jobs around the house, drop cloths are a must. But folding them back up can be really annoying, so what to do? Well, thankfully, sticking some cardboard to the edges with tape can make that task a lot easier. Dragging the cloth between rooms becomes much less stressful, too.YouTube/createwithjenn33. Ice cube wall patternIf you’re feeling creative but don’t want to pay out the wazoo for fancy wallpaper, this tip is for you. So, first things first, you need to pour your paint into a tray as you would do normally. Then grab an ice cube container from the kitchen, dip the cold squares into the mixture and press them against the wall. Repeat as much as you like, and you’ll be left with a funky design. Cool, huh?YouTube/5-Minute Crafts32. Making your arm a tape dispenserMasking tape is a must when you’re painting at home. And to avoid constantly forgetting where you last put it down, why not turn your arm into a makeshift dispenser? All you need to do is trim an unneeded sock and pull it over your forearm. Then stick your hand through the roll and tear bits off when required. Why not become a real pro and fold over the end of the tape while you’re at it, too?YouTube/Lifehacker31. Prepping the wallsBefore you can even think about giving your home a makeover, you naturally have to prep the walls. Yep, the surfaces you’re looking to paint must be as clean as possible. Luckily, there’s a simple way to make that happen. All you have to do is run a Swiffer mop under a little water and get scrubbing. That should do the trick.YouTube/Game of Life30. Painting hard-to-reach spacesWhen you’re painting, space is everything. The more room you have to work with, the easier the job should be. But that’s a luxury you don’t have with more compact areas – like, say, behind a toilet, for example. So, to help get in every hard-to-reach place, just attach a paint pad to a handle. Now no gap will seem too small. Voilà!YouTube/Paint Behind29. Brick wall patternFancy injecting some cozy country chic into your interior decor? Well, how about creating your very own exposed brick wall pattern? Minus the construction work, of course. All you need is a sponge and a helping of orange paint. First, trim your sponge to the size you’re after. Then dip it into the mixture, and aim for the walls. You’ll be astonished by the results!YouTube/5-Minute Crafts28. Closing the paint lidYes, we know what you’re thinking – closing a paint lid is easy, right? But it can get messy, if you’ll pardon the pun. One firm tap has the potential to spurt the stuff all over the place. To avoid that, then, you just need an old rag or a towel. Wrapping it over the top before you give the lid a bang should save a lot of hassle.YouTube/Popular Mechanics27. Painting furnitureIf you want to bring an old piece of furniture back to life with a lick of paint, this tip will make life a lot easier. Let’s take a chair, for instance. Without proper precautions, the legs will cling to the surface below after they’ve been painted. To avoid this, just place some nails into the base of the chair beforehand to raise it above the floor. This should also hopefully mean you don’t neglect to paint the bottom of the feet.YouTube/Family Handyman26. Removing paint drips and linesSee those pesky drips and streaks on your painted wall? What a pain after all that hard work. But don’t despair, as they’re easily fixable. Your first option is to carefully sand the affected area. Then, if that fails to work, grab a razor blade from the cabinet and gently slice the marks. Yes, it’s unorthodox, but it should rectify the issue in no time.YouTube/Hannibal Lectorr25. Use vinegar to wash brushesWashing brushes after painting is a real bore. But did you know that vinegar could make the task a whole lot easier? All you need to do is soak your tools in the liquid, and the paint should come right off. Doing this saves both time and money, too!YouTube/Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford24. The milk jug trickLugging around a bulky painting tray not really doing it for you? Well, if you don’t trust yourself to work straight from the tin, then this makeshift invention will be right up your street. The Specific Love Creations host has explained, “A milk jug can come in real handy. You can cut the front half off, and that allows you to have a nice little area for some paint. [Now] you can easily carry your paint around. You can stick your brush in [the hole at the top, too].”YouTube/Specific Love Creations23. Smoothing your paint jobEven if you have all the decorating gadgets and gizmos on the market, your dry paint may not feel particularly smooth to the touch. But that issue can be rectified with a clever trick. Sandpaper? Nope! Instead, get hold of a brown paper bag and run it across the troublesome spot. Say goodbye to the roughness.YouTube/Jami Ray Vintage22. The pool noodle hackGot any spare pool noodles hanging around? If that’s a yes, listen up. After making an incision all the way along a noodle, you can clip it around the bottom of a paint tray. Then, with a few more slices, you’ll have created a makeshift brush holder – handy for stopping your tools from becoming submerged in paint when your back is turned.YouTube/Yahoo21. Keeping paint off your windowsPainting can be a messy ol’ job – if you’re not careful, that is. And it’s particularly tricky when you’re working around windows. But there’s a handy tip that should help to keep those panes spotless. Before you load up your brush or roller, just smear a helping of lip balm on the areas most at risk of being stained. That should shield the surface, as you’ll be able to rub off any paint that sticks to the balm.YouTube/ehowathomechannel20. Striped wall patternFancy adding a timeless stripe pattern to your walls without the ordeal of hanging wallpaper? If so, we’ve got you covered. Simply wrap four pieces of equally spaced insulating tape around your roller. This will become the template for your design. Now all you need to do is dip the tool into the paint and apply. Look at how your walls come to life!YouTube/5-Minute Crafts19. Use smaller rollersThere’s no denying that large rollers make painting walls easier. They’re not so good, though, when you’re trying to coat corners. But to save having to reach for a brush and avoid any obvious changes in your wall’s finish, just grab a smaller roller. The soft material is often wrapped around the end, you see, meaning you can tuck right in tight to the corners.YouTube/Specific Love Creations18. Use tape to create random designsMasking tape isn’t just great for sectioning off your walls. You can get creative with it, too! That’s right: if you want to produce your own random yet perfectly precise pattern during a paint job, just draw it up using a few pieces of tape. Then, once the tape is stuck down, run your roller over the top until the entire area is covered. And after the coat dries, all you need to do is simply peel off the sticky lines. The results will look great in any room!YouTube/5-Minute Crafts17. The rag trickSprucing up your walls can be – let’s face it – a bit of a headache. But if sifting through endless wallpaper samples doesn’t sound fun, we’ve got you covered. All you need is an old rag and some paint. Twist the cloth into a sausage shape before dipping the material into your paint tray. Now, roll it down your chosen area for an expensive-looking design all your visitors will notice.Facebook/5-Minute Crafts Teens16. Keeping your brushes in good conditionAs if cleaning brushes isn’t dreary enough, there’s a chance your current method could actually be damaging your tools. Yep, the YouTuber behind Specific Love Creations says, “If you just put [your brush] in a jar, there’s a good chance it will deform the bottom... especially if you have real soft bristles.” To solve this problem, then, simply attach a binder clip to the brush handle. Your tool should now dangle in the cleaning solution without pressing against the base of the container.YouTube/Specific Love Creations15. Painting concreteDo you know the best way to prep the surface you want to paint? Take concrete, for instance, which may not react too well to a fresh coat without at least a little groundwork. But don’t worry. Covering the area you wish to freshen up in white vinegar will help prevent the paint from splitting. Is there anything vinegar can’t do?YouTube/HouseholdHacker14. Using a straw broomThis simple design idea will help bring any room to life – and it’s pretty quick to boot. Use your roller to coat your chosen area in a base color. Then squirt a different yet complementary shade in wavy lines across the surface. And once you’re done with that step, grab a broom and wipe the wall down. Your guests will be green with envy – even if that’s not your color of choice!YouTube/5-Minute Crafts13. Multicolored patternPainting a wall with one color is hard enough, but three at the same time? It can’t be done... right? Well, with some creative thinking, it’s possible. All you need is a roller, a plastic bag and an elastic band. Wrap your tool in the bag before securing with the band. Then pour your chosen shades next to one another in your tray, and you’ll be able to produce a very cool patterned effect.Facebook/5-Minute Crafts Teens12. Saving paintAfter you’ve finished using your roller for the day, washing it under the tap seems a no-brainer. Before you do that, though, we’ve got a tip that will save both money and the planet. Yes, running a putty knife over the tool will allow you to scrape any excess paint back into the container. You never know when you’ll need the extra drops, after all. Fewer chemicals make it down the drain, too. It’s a win-win!YouTube/Dunn-Edwards Paints11. The touch-ups trickWhen the time comes to make touch-ups to your wall, you may well have forgotten the name of the shade you’ll need to track down. But this handy tip will save you from having to pore over dozens of color charts. Simply note down the name of the paint and stick it behind your faceplates. Thank us later!YouTube/Specific Love Creations10. The W patternUse rollers when painting? Then we’ve got a question for you. Have you ever heard of the W pattern? No? Well, it may be an idea to jot this down. Basically, rolling the paint in the shape of that letter should ensure it’s applied more evenly. This technique may even save you from that tiresome third coat, which has to be a bonus.YouTube/CILPaint9. Cleaning your brushes with fabric softenerThose brushes won’t clean themselves, but the chemicals you need? Stinky enough to give you a migraine! To make this chore less unpleasant, though, try using a fabric softener instead. Soaking your tools for a few hours in a solution of the stuff should help to soften the bristles, allowing for a nice smooth paint job.YouTube/DIYHIPChicks8. The Vaseline trickIf you’re trying to avoid getting paint on certain parts of your wall, grab a tub of Vaseline from the cabinet. Applying the lubricant to a surface should stop any decorative coating from sticking to it, you see. Just remember to wipe the Vaseline away after you’re finished!YouTube/Unexpected Elegance7. Creating wavesIf you want a cool pattern on your wall in only one color, look no further. Aside from the usual paint and roller, you’ll just need to get your hands on a spare hair comb. Then, after coating the surface in paint, grab the detangler and push the tooth end into the wall that’s drying. All you have to do after that is to simply drag the teeth along in a swirling motion until you’re satisfied. See the waves? Cool, eh?YouTube/5-Minute Crafts6. The plastic wrap hackTo explain this next hack, we’re going to defer to professional contractor Joe Truini. In a piece for the Today’s Homeowner website, he advised, “You want to try and store your [paint can] safely and seal out as much air as possible. All you need is some food wrap. You want to lay it right in the can and set it on top of the paint.” This prevents the contents from hardening, so your paint should be good as new when you come to dig it out again.YouTube/PaintCare5. Prepping your rollersBefore you even think about painting over the walls in your house, there’s an important step you need to take. What’s that? Well, you’ve got to prepare your rollers, of course! Apparently, running the tools under heated water will help them soak up the paint. Doing this may well improve the quality of your finished look, too.YouTube/Paint Life TV4. Eliminate roller fuzzAh, fuzz – the bane of any homeowner’s existence. The stuff can get everywhere if you’re not too careful, and rollers aren’t immune to collecting it, either. But whatever you do, don’t start painting with a roller that’s been fuzzed up. Instead, get hold of a roll of packaging tape and run the tool across a sticky strip or two. That should clean the fluff right off.Todd A Hess Painting Co/YouTube3. The rubber band trickThis rubber band trick is perhaps the most useful painting hack of them all. It has the potential to save you from making rather a lot of mess, you see – both on the floor and around the lid of the paint tin. All you have to do is stretch a rubber band around the container. That way, you can use it to wipe the excess paint off your brush before slapping it on the walls.YouTube/Specific Love Creations2. Corn rollerCorn on the cob is pretty much a lumpy roller, right? And that makes it an ideal stand-in for your usual painting tool. Just pierce the ends of the corn with a couple of screwdrivers before coating it in paint. That way, you can create a fabulously unique pattern on your wall. Go on! Stand out from the crowd!YouTube/5-Minute Crafts1. The paint tray hackAs you’ll no doubt know, paint trays can become extremely messy after a while. But there’s a simple way to avoid that problem. Just wrap the receptacle in kitchen foil or a plastic bag. That layer of protection stops paint from staining the surface of the tray, which also makes cleaning it a lot easier.YouTube/Specific Love CreationsIf you’re painting, though, you may be prettying your place up for sale. Those episodes of Love It or List It have given you a hankering for DIY, too. But wait: it turns out that many property renovation ideas may actually devalue the price! So, let’s discover which things you should avoid when trying to increase your house’s value – from building swimming pools to installing home [email protected]/Instagram20. Bold is not always beautifulPicture the scene: you’ve spent years refining your own unique style on the house. That bold and colorful wall in the lounge helps you switch off after a long day in your characterless cubicle at work. Sure, you like it, and so does your partner. Though take a step back and ask yourself: would a potential buyer feel the [email protected]/InstagramHousing expert Thomas Goodman knows a thing or two about a home’s value. He told the website Love Property in February 2021, “A bright yellow wall in the kitchen could be comforting for you, but it might portray your room in a different light to others.” When it comes to selling your home, neutral tones will have a wider [email protected]/Instagram19. DIY dangersWe all know that there are countless YouTube videos available that offer tips on everything from how to paint a room to fixing an electrical outlet. And no doubt some of us come away from watching them thinking that we can tackle anything! Yet we often bite off more than we can chew. So, don't be afraid to call in trained professionals in those instances where the DIY job is a little beyond your expertise.YouTube/WeLoveMovies“Professional work is second to none in quality, when buyers step into your home and agents do a valuation, they will take note of details,” Goodman told Love Property. He added, “Your DIY tiling job might look appealing to you, but amateur work doesn’t have the same finish.” Be realistic and identify when you may be out of your depth – especially with jobs that pose safety risks like electrics and plumbing.stevepb/Pixabay18. A bathroom in name onlyWalk-in showers might be a popular, time-effective option for anyone who lives a hectic life. They can also create the illusion of more space in a cramped bathroom. Yet many people like to unwind with a long soak in the tub after a busy day! So, perhaps think twice before ripping it out. After all, it may hurt the resale value of your home – particularly if you only have one bathroom.Sofia Longo/YouTubeA refreshed bathroom can undoubtedly add value to a home. But going too far may have the reverse effect, Yahoo! Life notes. If you like the idea of a fancy whirlpool tub with all the bells and whistles, consider whether someone else might see it as a hassle to clean or step into. Perhaps instead keep it simple with a shower over the bath.ONNE Beauty/Unsplash17. Window woesCreaking floorboards. Clunky pipes. Draughty doorways. Anyone who has… truncated (16,532 more characters in archive)